Ceramics is one of the oldest art forms in Japan. Since the 4th century it was often highly influenced by Chinese aesthetics and techniques, but the Japanese came to develop a distinct style of unglazed high-fired stoneware that embraced varied tones and textures rather than striving for the high-glaze perfection of Chinese porcelain. This rustic appeal of the Japanese ceramics has become one of the defining examples of the wabi-sabi philosophy that locates beauty in the humble, irregular, impermanent and incomplete, striving to resemble the harmony of things in nature.

Now in his seventies, Kosho Ito was trained in traditional Japanese ceramics and seamlessly took his knowledge and skill into an experimental art practice. He is well known for his large-scale installations that comprise many small clay formations composed as a whole on the gallery floor. Mirroring elemental life forms like cocoons, seeds or primal organisms, the individual pieces are always similar, but no two are ever the same.

Working only with his hands, the artist’s focus in on the raw material. He tries to minimize the effect of human intervention by following what the clay wants to do, and as a result the shapes appear to have developed through their own natural processes. Meticulously arranged together, the final compositions are often mandala-like in their circular forms and temporality.

A major retrospective, Kosho Ito Works 1974-2009 – Order and Chaos, was recently held at the Museum of Contemporary At Tokyo, focusing on how Ito’s work has always shown that chaos exists inherently in order, and vice versa.

[Images: 1. Folds of Clay – Blue Freeze, 2007. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Yoshitaka Uchida. 2. Instillation photo from Kosho Ito Works 1974-2009 – Order and Chaos, Museum Contemporar Art, Tokyo. 3. Kino-Niku, Tsuchi-no-Ha, 1991. Courtesy Takamatsu City Museum of Art. Photo: Yoshitaka Uchida. 4. Kino-Niku, Tsuchi-no-Ha II, 1993. Courtesy Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art. Photo: Yoshitaka Uchida. 5. Eros of Alumina (White Solidities are...), 1984. Courtesy Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo. Photo: Yoshitaka Uchida. 6. Feldspar Terrain No.2 (Imported Soil Series), 2000. Courtesy the artist. Photo: Tadasu Yamamoto. 7. Instillation photo from Kosho Ito Works 1974-2009 – Order and Chaos, Museum Contemporar Art, Tokyo. 8. Portrait of Kosho Ito.]

Hand sculpted and flawlessly designed, Hakusan’s porcelain is iconic in both its form and history. The company’s legacy began over eight generations ago in a small factory based in Hanami, Nagasaki.

The traditional porcelain manufacturer made its name in 1956 by employing designer Mori Masahiro (1927-2005) in 1956. The innovative partnership merged craftsmanship with design, pioneering a new approach to the creative process. Mori was a trained industrial designer and specialised ceramicist. After graduating from the Tama University of Arts in Tokyo, he joined Hakusan and went on to revolutionise porcelain homewear in Japan and abroad. His G-type Soy Sauce Bottle won a Good Design prize in 1960 and his creations for the company continued to influence ceramicists for generations to come.

Mori’s vision of simple, lifestyle products came to define the Hakusan brand as practical and intuitive. Even though he left the company in 1978, Hakusan continued to produce his work. Possibly one of the company’s most beautiful creations were humble mugs now known as ‘Fancy Cups’. These were designed for the blind, and feature groove patterns that mirror the grasp of a human hand. Hakusan’s more recent foray into the creation of collectible porcelain animals such as cats, birds and other seriously cute critters ensure that its legacy will remain both innovative and relevant to yet another generation.

Hakusan has a store on Omotesando Dori, Tokyo and is available in Australia through Via Alley.